Ten Years
by BlackDandelion
Summary: Ten years had passed and Susan was no longer beautiful. Bitter tears stained Aslan’s mane at the thought of her lost beauty. But Caspian’s chest beat again louder than ever and he was happy." SusanCaspian


**Ten years**

by Blackdandelion

**Author's Note:** Yeah, I'm not entirely sure what happened here. All I know is I was very pissed after the film and I started to write in like the middle of the night. I don't really feel up to explaining the actual storyline, I guess one can sort of figure it out... Any read, review and give me blushes to last til next week!

"Nothing ever happens the same way twice." _Aslan_

It had been ten years. Caspian counted the days with a vengeance. Ten years since she left, ten years since his heart had hopped out of his chest and gone to London. The ten years had been good on Caspian. The lines around his eyes were lines of maturity not age. His eyes showed a sharp wisdom and his jaw a fierce determination.

It had been ten years since he had last seen his Susan. During the ten years he had ruled Narnia with perfection, with compassion and understanding, diplomacy and respect. There was but one fatal flaw. His refusal to marry. And that flaw was pecking away at the people. Caspian's refusal to bear an heir overshadowed all his other talents, leaving a King with a Queen, a King without a Prince.

There had been women of course. Ten years had gone by. Chambermaids slipped in and out of his bed, never expecting anything. Until the fourth year came by and Dorothy slipped into his bed and stayed. Brunette locks decorating his pillow, compassionate eyes lulling him to sleep. His hands played over her silken skin as he whispered a name. Dorothy brought with her pleasure and comfort, but never love.

The name he whispered was never hers and she had no disillusions of their relationship. When the fifth year was at it's end she married Otto, the gardener, a man much more fitting for her social standing. Eight months after the wedding she bore a son. Caspian's heart was pierced with arrows of disappointment as he breathed a sigh of relief when the son was born with Otto's signature red hair.

It was at the end of the fifth year that Caspian truly gave up all hope of her return. Always the dreamer, meeting reality head on took the breath out of him. His laugh was hollow, his eyes rarely reflecting his smile. He threw himself into his work with a passion he could not bestow on Susan. He built up a new prosperous Narnia and it was all because of her. He found it ironic, that she should be the reason for his pain. Susan the Gentle.

The years passed and the pile of refused potential wives grew bigger. At the end of the eighth year Caspian decided that Otto's son should be his successor. There was no if in his statement. The chambermaids tissled about the reasons, but Caspian blamed it on the boy's charm. Otto said nothing.

At the end of the ninth year he had cut himself. He wasn't sure if it was a mistake or not. The hunting knife slipped and the blood flowed. And he couldn't will himself to make it stop. The blood flowed and he figured his body was crying. He felt nothing. Dorothy found him passed out on the floor, a pool of blood surrounding his arm. She neglected to tell him the pool of blood had formed a heart, he neglected to tell her he hadn't slipped.

With a bandaged arm he let his hands roam over her silken skin one last time, afterwards swearing to abstain out of loyalty to Otto.

The tenth year came and Narnia had never been more beautiful, or more peaceful. The trees were happy, the sun shone on him wherever he went and the grass seemed to sing to the wind.

The tenth year came and Caspian's eyes grew empty. At night he would wake up in panic looking for a heartbeat. The tenth year came and he walked to the meadow.

It was an odd thing to do, he realised afterwards. He hadn't been to the meadow since her. It had been ten years since he had stepped foot in the place and still he remembered the route perfectly. And he stood admiring the place, which held his memories of another time, another love, and another happiness.

And then, she was there. He blinked and she was there. Standing in a sea of daisies and buttercups, his Susan. Her back was turned to him, the simple dress cascading down into the flowers. Her brunette hair sparked something in his chest.

He took such slow deliberate steps toward her that he might as have been standing still. But he had been through this hallucination, felt the happiness of her return only to wake up with an empty heart and Dorothy in his arms.

Not until he reached her did he dare believe. She didn't turn around as he ran his fingers through luscious locks, but he heard her sigh. His chest thumped awkwardly.

As he moved to face her, he felt her body go rigid and he tightened his grip on her shoulders, refusing to let her move an inch away from him. Looking at her face he experienced so many emotions that he thought he was going to explode.

It had been ten years and Susan the Gentle was no longer beautiful. A large gash covered half her face, distorting her eye and marking her rosy cheek. Sad eyes stared at Caspian as he took in the sight. She had not aged much, as it had barely been a year in her world.

Her eyes still held the vibrant fire of passion, her hands were still marked from her archery skills. He traced his fingers over her face, willing her to be real. _Let her be real. _As his rough fingers whispered over the gash, her naked feet curled into the earth. Caspian smiled at her and the strain told him how long it had been since his last smile. Susan smiled at him and his chest thumped louder than it ever had and he had never been so happy in his entire life.

"You came." He was saying so much more than those two words. _I gave up, I thought you would never return, can you forgive me, dear, for giving up? _

"I came. Will you still have me?" _Always and always. _

And he took her back to the castle. And the Narnians were shocked to see what Queen Susan had become. Like Caspians refusal to produce an heir overshadowed his other talents, as did the gash overshadow Susan's other qualities. Her legendary beauty had been turned into nothingness and the Narnians never let her forget it.

Caspian depended little on what the Narnians thought and took her as his bride. And suddenly he was the perfect ruler with the imperfect bride. The imperfection continued as she bore him three daughters. Otto's son was to remain the heir to the throne and Susan grew rigid whenever she passed Dorothy in the hall.

In the end though, the small things didn't matter. He was Caspian and she was Susan and they were meant to be. Ten years had passed and she was no longer beautiful. Bitter tears stained Aslan's mane at the thought of her lost beauty. Narnians had difficulties remembering her stunning looks. But Caspian's chest beat again louder than ever and he was happy.


End file.
